Bernardo Sopai gave it all but got knocked out in the UFC debut

Bernardo Sopai just made his UFC debut at the Apex in Las Vegas. Photo: Chris Önnerby

Swedish-Albanian Bernardo Sopai just took on fellow UFC newcomer Vinicius Oliveira in a bantamweight bout on the UFC Vegas 87 preliminary fight card.

The fight was a back-and-forth battle where both fighters had their moments. Sopai looked good from the start and secured two good takedowns in the first round. In the second round, Sopai was totally dominant in the first half, controlling the fight and delivering solid ground-and-pound. The Brazilian was able to turn things around, however, and ended the round just as dominant.

In the third round, Oliveira landed a barrage of punches and kicks before launching a devastating flying knee that knocked out Sopai cold.

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Bernardo Sopai won titles in two promotions

Bernardo Sopai is a 23-year-old Swedish-based Albanian prospect representing Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden, home of UFC fighters like Josefine “Thunder” Knutsson, Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson.

Prior to his UFC debut he fought in December when he won the AFN title against Geovane Vargas via stoppage. Sopai won his first title back in 2022 when he stopped Karlen Minasian with a head kick to win the Fight Club Rush bantamweight strap.

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